Trail Photography Tips - Autumn Edition

TRAIL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS - AUTUMN EDITION 

Backpacker Magazine posted these tips today for great Fall Photography on the trail.

The three tips stressed are:  

1. Notice the Details 
2. Shoot Vertical 
3. Get Closer 

In addition to these great tips we at Outdoors Los Angeles would add the following

Stabilize your shots:

Especially when shooting landscapes or multiple stationary objects at different distances from your camera you want to be able to take a longer exposure required by utilizing a smaller aperture in your camera lens and giving you much greater depth of field. Depth of field is a fancy way of saying "how much stuff at different distances from the camera lense are in focus.

The classic example is a row of trees along a boulevard taken from the point of view of a driver.


There are many ways to stabilize your shots while on the trail. Sometimes you can find a tree stump or a relatively flat rock to rest your camera on. This allows you to shoot at a smaller aperture with a longer exposure while still getting a clear focused image. If the camera moves too much during an exposure you get a blurry image. 

A more common method among professional photographers is to utilize a modern tripod. However, most of these are heavy (well at least to lug out into the woods on a long day hike or overnight trip).

But there is a solution for point and shoot digital cameras: a mini-tripod. The Pedco UltraPod Mini Tripod is a great extremely lightweight little tool you can easily take with you as it fits in your pocket. 

The Pedco Ultrapod Mini Tripod

The Leki Sierra Antishock SLS Staff

One other method used by avid outdoor photographers is to stand it up on a walking stick or trekking poles. Some walking staffs like the  Leki Sierra Antishock SLS Staff have a top that can be removed revealing a Built-in camera mount.